National men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi has set clear objectives for the badminton pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik as they prepare for their upcoming European tournaments following the Asian Games. The coach emphasized the importance of securing at least one title from their post-Games appearances to help restore their confidence after reuniting as a pair.

The duo’s European campaign will feature three key tournaments: the Denmark Open, the French Open, and the Hylo Open, all scheduled in the weeks following the Asian Games, which take place from September 19 to October 4 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. While no official performance targets have been formally established, Herry expressed his personal expectation that Aaron and Wooi Yik should claim at least one championship among these events.

“It is important to rebuild their confidence,” Herry said. “They performed well at the World Championships, but now they need more time together on court. There is no specific KPI, but personally, I feel they should win one of these tournaments.”

The coach also confirmed the withdrawal of three experimental pairings from the Arctic Open in Finland, scheduled from October 6 to 11. These combinations had been formed recently as part of a trial to explore alternative partnerships. Initially, Aaron was paired with Tee Kai Wun while Wooi Yik was set to partner Choong Hon Jian. Other pairs, including Man Wei Chong-Wan Arif and Wan Junaidi, were also withdrawn.

Herry explained that the close proximity of the Arctic Open to the Asian Games was a primary factor in the decision to withdraw those entries. “They only have about a week after the Games, and I don’t think there will be enough time to prepare for the Arctic Open,” he said.

Additionally, with Aaron-Wooi Yik and Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun having resumed their original partnerships following the trial period, the need to compete in the Arctic Open with alternative pairings was deemed unnecessary.

As a result, Aaron Tai and Yap Roy King will be the only pair under Herry’s guidance to participate in the Arctic Open this season. The focus now rests on the reunited Aaron-Wooi Yik duo as they aim to regain momentum and deliver strong performances in Europe.